Chinese President Hu Jintao has urged local officials to seize of
the opportunities brought by the Qinghai-Tibet Railway to strengthen the
prosperity and ethnic unity in the country's western areas.
The railway stretches 1,956 km from Xining, provincial capital
of Qinghai to Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region. It went into
operation on Saturday.
Immediately after the celebration to mark the opening of the
railway the president boarded a train Saturday noon to inspect the
construction work which has been carried out and the operation of
the railway. He praised the contribution of workers in the past
years in building the highest railway line in the world.
Some 960 km of the track is 4,000 meters above sea level with
the highest point being 5,072 meters. An 814 km section from Xining
to Golmud began operation in 1984 and building work on the
Golmud-Lhasa link started on June 29, 2001.
Hu asked local officials to make full use of resources to
accelerate economic and social development and improve the people's
living standards. In the meantime, the environment should be well
protected for the benefit of future generations.
At a railway station Hu visited the control rooms for the
operation of trains and tracks and asked about the living and
working conditions of railway staff in the plateau areas. He wished
them good health and called on them to continue contributing to the
country's rail network.?
(Xinhua News Agency July 3, 2006)
